Self-styled prophet charged with kidnapping 2 girls

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man described as a self-styled prophet is being charged with child abuse and kidnapping after two girls were found hidden in plastic water barrels near what authorities called a makeshift compound in a desert area of southern Utah.

Six counts were filed Wednesday against 34-year-old Samuel Shaffer, who police say was in an upstart group with beliefs in doomsday and polygamy.

Police say Shaffer also hid two other girls in an abandoned trailer. Investigators say the girls aged 4 through 8 were not dressed for below-freezing temperatures.

Authorities say two of the girls were Shaffer's children, and the other two were daughters of a 33-year-old follower, who was also charged. Their mother had reported them missing, along with the couple's two sons. The boys were found in the compound.